"And then?"
Yang Cheng asked.
"Tangtang's father was furious, but the deed was already done. He was powerless to change it," Cheng Junyi said slowly. "At that time, Tang Wushuang's standing in the Tang clan had already surpassed Tangtang's father. Tangtang was completely treated as an abandoned child. The only reason they spared her life was because they thought she no longer posed any threat to the clan."
"Her father believed that since her Chaos Bone was dug out and her body was so frail, she was basically crippled. Rather than let her live on as useless trash, he thought it would be kinder for her to die, so she wouldn't live in endless pain."
"I couldn't bear to watch her die like that, so I offered to take her away."
"Tangtang's father hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he agreed."
Yang Cheng sneered. "Truly a responsible father."
After that, he and Cheng Junyi both looked quietly down at Tang Xingyu.
A moment ago she had been sulking, but now she had found a paper packet.
It was something Yang Cheng had brought.
When she opened it, inside was a string of candied hawthorns.
Tang Xingyu picked one up, stuck out her little tongue, and licked it. Instantly her face lit up with a bright smile.
Yang Cheng said nothing for a long time.
After a while, he suddenly asked, "Then why does Tangtang now have the Tai Sui Divine Body?"
"That's something I didn't expect either. Maybe even the Tang clan never predicted it," Cheng Junyi said. "After I took her away, I quickly noticed her body was recovering fast."
"One month later, I brought her to the Wasteland Realm. At that time, she saw me practicing the Tai Sui Breathing Technique and copied me."
"Her Chaos Bone had already been dug out, which meant she should have been crippled. I thought she'd never be able to cultivate for the rest of her life."
"But to my shock, after following me for less than three days, she somehow awakened the Tai Sui Divine Body."
Yang Cheng was stunned. "So it wasn't that Tangtang already had the Tai Sui bloodline and awakened the Tai Sui Divine Body, and then you let her practice the Tai Sui Breathing Technique?"
"No, that was only what I told others," Cheng Junyi said with a strange look. "I can confirm she had no Tai Sui bloodline and had never awakened the Tai Sui Divine Body before."
"Only after cultivating the Tai Sui Breathing Technique did she gain the Tai Sui Divine Body. At that moment, I suspected this might be some hidden ability of the Chaos Bone."
"Even though the Chaos Bone was dug out, this hidden ability still remained inside Tangtang's body."
Yang Cheng's breath caught.
If what his teacher said was true, then Tangtang's hidden ability was utterly monstrous.
She practiced the Tai Sui Breathing Technique and gained the Tai Sui Divine Body. Then what if, in the future, she practiced other breathing techniques? Wouldn't she develop new physiques?
He voiced this thought to Cheng Junyi.
"I had the same suspicion long ago," she said. "I even tried letting her cultivate other breathing techniques, but no new physiques appeared."
"Maybe the technique has to be of a high enough grade for her hidden ability to trigger and create a corresponding physique," Yang Cheng said.
Cheng Junyi's expression shifted slightly. "That's very possible. But breathing techniques like the Tai Sui Breathing Technique are extremely rare. As her teacher, I only have this one."
"I can search for others for Tangtang," Yang Cheng said.
He thought of the breathing method he had practiced in his previous life—the Asura Breathing Technique.
It was extremely powerful, but because he had been too much of a waste in that life, he had never managed to draw out its true effects.
What would happen if Tangtang cultivated it?
But the technique carried too heavy a killing aura. He would need to consider carefully. It would be better if he could find some other breathing techniques for her first.
"That would be good," Cheng Junyi said, deeply comforted.
Yang Cheng knew the weight Tangtang bore, yet he still didn't distance himself from her. That alone showed his loyalty and depth of feeling.
"Teacher, earlier Tangtang mentioned an older sister. What was that about?" Yang Cheng asked.
"That was her cousin, Tang Wushuang's younger sister, Tang Yun'er," Cheng Junyi said. "Don't be fooled into thinking Tangtang was too little back then to remember. In truth, her memory was astonishing…"
Most people forget everything before the age of three, but Tangtang remembered it all clearly.
Tang Yun'er was also a peerless genius, born with the Seven-Colored Golden Emperor Sacred Body. In the Tang clan, she ranked just below Tang Wushuang and Tangtang when Tangtang was still a baby.
Yet although both were girls of the Tang clan, their fates couldn't have been more different.
Tangtang suffered endless torment, while Tang Yun'er lived in luxury, pampered as the Tang clan's eldest young lady. But for some unknown reason, she appeared in the Wasteland Realm, and it even seemed she had been fighting someone. That was how Tangtang managed to sense her.
From Cheng Junyi's words, Yang Cheng realized another terrifying thing about Tangtang—her perception was monstrous.
Even if no one knew exactly where Tang Yun'er was, she had to be far from Fengtian City. Otherwise, her presence would've already alarmed other powerhouses.
Yet not even Martial Sovereigns had noticed her, while Tangtang, this fierce little tigress, sensed her immediately. She really was a hidden little demon.
Late at night.
"Square Inch Source Seed, refine."
Yang Cheng began refining the second Square Inch Source Seed.
It still took only one hour.
Afterward, he noticed changes inside the Square Inch Mysterious Realm.
Originally, within the realm there was one main star and two small stars.
Now, four small stars appeared.
The surrounding space also gave off an even stronger feeling.
As the realm's master, Yang Cheng clearly sensed that the power he could control here had grown stronger.
"These four small stars should mean I can invite others in—or rather, draw them inside," Yang Cheng thought, studying the use of this realm. "But how do I actually bring others here?"
This space wasn't his system. There were no prompts. He could only explore on his own.
He tried using his spiritual sense to touch the small stars.
They gave no response at all.
Standing up, he looked around.
The surrounding void was pitch-black.
The small star beneath his feet, however, glowed with a hazy light, like candlefire cutting through darkness.
Though not dazzling, it carried a warmth that reached deep into his heart.
At that moment, Yang Cheng faintly understood something.
"This small star isn't just a star. It represents my mind, my will."
His gaze grew deep.
So, for the Square Inch Mysterious Realm to fully function, he might first need to grasp his true heart.
For most people, understanding their true heart was nearly impossible.
Most mortals lived their whole lives without ever knowing it, even at death.
But Yang Cheng had endured 500 years of hardship.
If his heart was a sword, those 500 years had already tempered it until it was razor sharp and unbreakable.
He knew with absolute clarity what he wanted most.
Every time he faced the Heaven's Chosen of the myriad worlds, as lowly as an ant before them, only one thought burned in him.
He wanted to stand before them as a person.
Yes.
His wish wasn't complicated. He had no grand ambition.
Perhaps when he had first crossed into this world, he dreamed of things like equality for all, of everyone rising like dragons.
But after 500 years of humiliation and grinding trials, all those fantasies had long been shattered.
With however much ability he had, he would do only as much as he could.
He wasn't even a Martial True God yet. If he dared to imagine changing the world, he'd be nothing but a joke.
So, through endless humiliation and countless trials, in the end, only one pure, simple thought remained in his heart.
At the very least, he wanted to live like a person.